Miraadhya

"Wake up! Miraadhya ! Wake up" I open my eyes with great difficulty to see Sukanya's worried eyes looking at me, I glance towards my right to see Maa and Uncle standing in worry.

The memory hits me, the unthinkable truth which will haunt me for the rest of my life. I hold my buzzing head. "What happened?" I ask.

"You fainted suddenly. Are you okay?" King Abhijeet asks and I could only nod at him while eyeing my mother who didn't look at me.

The truth can never come out, I cannot put her life in danger , if Rajaji comes to know about it he will not spare her.

"You should take rest, I will send someone to bring you food." Mother says glancing at me slightly before leaving with her brother.

"Jabse Jessore se aayi ho tabse kamzor ho gayi ho Miraadhya"

Sukanya says with worry and I just shake my head.

"Aisa kuch nai hai bas hume itne aadar satkar ki aadat nai hai isikiye sharir dheela pad gaya humara" I pinch her cheeks and earn a beautiful smile in return.

She sits beside me and we lie together in a comfortable silence but my heart and mind were on fire, I cannot marry that man, not only because he is the one who had ruined my life but also because the moment I marry him he will attack Jessore, he will attack him and Sukanya and I cannot let that happen.

I cannot even face Rajaji, it would be too painful to even look at him, I have already betrayed him countless times and I cannot do that anymore, he lost the person he had loved because of the person I love - what kind of doomed relationship is this?

I was even a fool to think of my future with him.

"I saw the Prince from afar, he oddly seemed familiar, didn't you think so?" Sukanya asks after a while and I fall silent.

"He had once visited Harikel" I say softly and I bring my knees towards my chest.

"Oh yes! You are correct! He even wanted to see your paintings right" she exclaimed and I nod.

"He must have really liked your paintings then seeing how he still remembered you. It's love at first sight" she giggles and I get up abruptly listening her words , I felt like puking, the thought itself disgusting me.

"What ? What happened? Aren't you feeling well!" She holds me and I sigh heavely to control my tears but it doesn't happen and I break down for the nth time in the day. Her hands holds me securely in her embrace as I let go of my body. She gently strokes my hair.

"Whatever it is it will be okay, you will get through this" she says and I cry more for her, for myself- for him.

"I cannot marry him Sukanya" I finally say and she stills but then continues to stroke my hair.

"Then Don't if you don't like him"

"It's not that simple" I sigh, Rajaji will not marry unless I marry and if he doesn't marry Sukanya it will break her heart.

"It is simple Mira." She sounded so hopeful and I was nothing but a mess.

"I have to tell you something " I say and turn towards her. I have to come clean to her, to say everything.

"Sukanya I ... I am in lo-"

"Miraadhya! Your food" Maa enters and eyes me with her stern expression.

"She needs to eat so you can go now" she says to Sukanya who eyes me reluctantly but then I nod and she leaves quietly.

Maa sits beside me and starts feeding me with her own hand.

"If you think I don't know what you are doing then you are a fool" she says and again feeds me which I take in slowly.

"I cannot marry him Maa, you plan to put Rajaji and Sukanya life at danger, you are not even thinking of me.. I cannot agree to this, you have already taken your revenge." I say softly but she doesn't respond. She again tries to feed me which I refuse but her one angry expression makes me eat the food.

"If you don't marry him Miraadhya then he will attack this place, he has brought hundreds of men, and internal source confirmed" she says.

"What does it even mean? He is threatening us?"

"Yes..I might have underestimated him but he came prepared. Abhijeet is not too happy with the situation, the Prince expects us to attack Jessore with our soldier and if we deny him now then it is a threat to us."

"Also I don't want you to worry about them, especially Rudraansh, I don't know what he said to you but he is not what he is, he is his father's son. Don't you remember how he humiliated you? Because of that rumour itself so many states refused to marry you. Just because I didn't tell you doesn't mean it didn't happen. He is the only man who agreed to marry you...this is your chance to have a life which I never had" she says with utmost confidence.

"No...everything will be ruined, Sukanya life will be ruined...I cannot I cannot be the part of this" I shake my head in fear, I would not be able to live with myself.

"What do you think if you don't marry him he will not attack Jessore? He is a ruthless man, he will attack here and forcefully take our soldiers to attack Jessore. In that case Sukanya will be dead, if she is with Rudraansh at least she would be under protection" she huffs in annoyance.

"King Abhijeet will never agree to it"

"Your King Abhijeet has already agreed to it- he understands my mission and he is ambitious enough to conquer new territory - he doesn't get swayed away my petty feelings like you are" she stands up and comes in front of me.

"I know you like that man, so if you want to protect him you have to gain power- and that power comes by marrying the prince who will soon be a king, he has a powerful kingdom- imagine you are the queen of that place- your words will matter and you can even prevent the war" she says energetically as her every words registers in my mind.

"I can prevent the attack?" I ask softly.

"Yes of course! You will be a queen- you want to safe Rudraansh and Sukanya right" she asks and I nod.

"Personally I don't want them to be even alive but seeing how much they matter to you, I understand now- you will have the power" she again says and my breath becomes shuddered-

"I...I want to meet the Prince" I say after a deep thought.

"Why?"

"If I will be his wife I need to-"

"No- it's not proper for you to meet him, marry him and then talk to him as much as you want"

"But Maa how can I-"

"I said No..and that means No, I swear to you Mira"

She walks away from my room and I think of ways I could meet him. I have to meet him and ask about his plans, though I know he will not say a word but if I will be his wife I cannot be weak- I have people to protect.

It's around sunset time and I sneak out of the room, I had called Mishti over to take my place in the room.

"I cannot do this Mira Di! What if I get caught?" She exclaims in fear and I hold her.

"Mishti have I ever asked you to do anything?"

She shakes her head. "Then do this for me, just lie down under the duvet and pretend to sleep- until I come back okay"

"What if someone catches me?"

"Nothing will happen! Please Mishti! This is important. This is about life and death" I whisper scream and she nods quickly seeing my seriousness.

I quickly change into simple clothes of an attendee and cover my face with a veil, with one last glance at Mishti I exit the room.

I turn towards the guest chambers and join the other attendees who were busy serving refreshments to the Prince room, I take the plate in my hand.

"I will take it to the room, I heard the head attendee is calling you" I say to one of the women and she immediately nods and runs back.

I take a slow step inside the huge room and force myself to breathe in the process, I would face this man after three years and nothing makes it easier. I clutch to my knife which I had hid inside my cloth in a makeshift pocket in case he tries something, I will not be afraid to defend myself.

As I enter more inside, I spot him sitting beside a bed, his back facing to me as he stared above.

"Yes" he says suddenly and I jolt back in shock, but then he turns slightly hearing the sound of my anklets and I feel my heart sinking.

He says something to someone and that's when I see a woman standing up in front of him, her hair looked disheveled and cheeks flushed and I immediately lower my gaze in disgust.

"Who dares to disturb me?" He grunts and I could sense him standing up and approaching me.

"I brought refreshments" I manage to whisper but it came out as a shiver. He was inches away from me and my mind went blank to the day when he had forced me in that room. I slowly back away, his smell suffocating my mind.

"I didn't ask for any. I could kill you for disturbing me" he mocks. "By the way you yourself can serve me" he says suggestively and my grip on the knife tightens but then I calm myself and slowly lift my veil.

It takes few seconds but finally I meet his eyes. He has a shock expression which quickly becomes into a smirk, a devilish smirk as he shamelessly checks me out.

"Ohh she comes herself now" he mocks and I take a heavy breath.

"I am here to talk" I say.

He raises an eyebrow and then thins it. "Hmm, I had one question in my mind, have we met before? When I saw your picture you seemed oddly familiar" he asks and I thin my eyebrows at him.

He doesn't even remember me? When I couldn't even forget his evil voice, how he had laughed when he was beating me, how his face kept coming in my nightmares for years- how he took the innocence from me and he bloody doesn't even remember me.

"I..No I suppose we have not met before, you must have met someone who looks similar to me" I say slowly.

He smacks his lips and eyes me with the same evil smile which I want to rip apart. "Ohh I would remember if I had met someone like you, you are something to look at at"

I control my frown at him.

"Why do you need our soldiers to attack Jessore, what I heard you can do that on your own with the soldiers you are having" I ask him directly and he is clearly taken aback by my question.

"Women talking politics ...hmmm I don't like it" he comments, a frown edging on his face and I fight the urge to roll my eyes at him.

"I have no knowledge about politics Prince , I am merely asking out of curiosity about the safety of my people " I lower my gaze to not agitate him.

"I am not answerable to you and does your mother know that her so called pure daughter has entered the chambers of a man at this hour?" he scowls at me and tries to step closer but I move back.

"What if I don't agree with this marriage?" I say spontaneously.

He looks at me like he is ready to kill me here as his eyes dilates in anger.
"You will reject me? Who the fuck do you think you are? I am doing a favour of marrying a whore like you because I need an heir" he says and then exhales sharply, clearly he didn't meant to say the last line.

His words doesn't affect me for a bit but what does is that He needs me for an heir, he could marry any other princess then, why me?

"And if you do not marry me then you will see that lover boy of yours dead body" he smirks as he sees my face draining hearing his words.

"What are you even saying?"

"Two days...if you want people you love alive so better be a silent bride. And once you become my wife I will teach you how to behave for today's behaviour" he hums as he keeps eyeing me.

"Uhh huh" he says after a while as he rubs his chin with his fingers with a smile. "I recognise you " he says and I turn immediately towards the exit but he was quick and holds me suddenly.

"Leave me!" I shout but he grips my neck, his hands tight as he starts choking me.

Oh god!

I hold his arms and try to kick him but he is much stronger than I am.

"I remember those eyes, those were so scared when I was on top of you" he grunts and my pupils goes up as I try to move away,

"Maybe today I will finish what I had started" his eyes grew big with lust and I thought I could die this moment.

With one last breath I took out my knife and attacked his arm, though I couldn't create much harm but it made his grip on me light and I dropped and ran away from him coughing on my way.

"Run as much as you want! You will be mine anyways!" I hear him shout.
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